1. Field
The following relates to a user interface, and more particularly, to a user interface method and device.
2. Description of Related Art
A typical smart device, for example, a smartphone, a tablet personal computer (PC), or a wearable device implements a response to a user input by extensively using a developed touch screen technology, to provide a user interface. The touch screen may be any of, for example, a resistive touch screen, a capacitive touch screen, or a surface acoustic wave touch screen, as only examples. In comparison to an interface of a physical keyboard or mouse, a typical interface for the touch screen may be conveniently and intuitively manipulated using a typical virtual keyboard, for example, with a displayed figure or letter being selected by a touching of the displayed figure or letter, such as by any finger or stylus designed to interact with the touch screen. Thus, a typical input scheme using a touch screen of a typical smart device may allow a user to directly experience an interface through a typical virtual keyboard that mirrors the physical keyboard interface and through typical touch selections that mimic selection operations of the physical mouse interface.
When a touch is input to a touch screen by a user, the smart device typically detects position information of a position of the touch, and typically determines input information of the user with respect to the smart device based on the detected position information. The user may implement different operations using the touch screen based on various interactions, for example, using the typical virtual keyboard, a composite key, a double-tap, a long press, and a plurality of touches. For example, the user may edit a document by inputting a letter symbol using the typical virtual keyboard displayed on the touch screen, or may perform a zooming operation of a displayed image using a typical touch of a particular point or area of the screen controlling that operation or repeat such a zooming operation by repeating the touching of that particular point or area.
For convenience of a touch of the user, the typical virtual keyboard on the touch screen needs to have a minimum size that accommodates each of the different keys. Due to the minimum space or area of the touch screen occupied by the typical virtual keyboard, the effective remaining display area may be reduced. In addition, to implement composite key strokes that may have been implemented using a physical keyboard or a double-click of an item on the display that may have been implemented using physical mouse, the user typically needs to perform a plurality of touches or taps of the screen of the typical smart device. Also, an amount of time is required for the long press, and a plurality of fingers may be required for the different point touches with the typical smart device. Accordingly, it may be difficult to realize the above interactions on a relatively small screen.